Foreign Lands
by rinappe
Summary: Aphrodi is in Korea on a scholarship, but he meets rhe struggles of being in a new country.


He claimed to be a god, but even a god would fear unknown lands.

Afuro Terumi was in a plane on his way to Seoul, the heart of Korea, on a scholarship to university. Brain, brawn, and most importantly, beauty. How could they not give him a scholarship? His service in Fire Dragon during the FFI in his third year was magnificent, he had caught the university's eyes. His parents hugely supported his move as well, glad that their son would be going to his ethnic roots.

"In a few minutes, we'll be landing in Seoul. Please fasten your seatbelts and thank you for flying with us," a Japanese intercom sounded throughout the plane, then followed by a Korean one. Had the Japanese one not sounded first, Afuro wouldn't have been able to understand.

The plane landed bumpily, bouncing its passengers around before finally settling into a smooth finish. Afuro couldn't contain his excitement. He was finally in Korea!

If his parents were traveling with him, maybe they would've noticed his subtle bouncing of joy. But no. He was going to be a university student. He was going to be an adult, so he would act like one.

A god has decided to bless this land.

He alighted from the plane, taking a deep breath of the new land's air. It was fresh, a different fresh from Japan's. The wind blew his golden hair and the sun brightened his ruby eyes. This was where he was going to live his life from now on.

He checked his phone for any messages from his friend picking him up but nothing. He tried sending a message to notify him of his arrival but it wouldn't work.

'Forgot to get a data roaming packet, huh?' he thought to himself, but shrugged it off. He would find his friend at the arrivals area anyway.

He rushed his way to the immigration desk, following the translated signs to guide himself. He was still hopeless in Korean, despite his mother doing her best to teach him. Japanese was just simply too strong in him, especially when everyone around you only spoke Japanese.

"Welcome to Korea, please check out our products," employees in the mini stores in the airport advertised in Korean. Not that he managed to pick it up from their words, it was solely through assumption.

He decided to do his share of shopping after immigration, work now, fun later. It was a quick process, he managed to get near the front of the line. Stamp, stamp and he's officially in Korea. Easy, right?

"Passport please," they asked in Korean. Okay, maybe not.

"I'm sorry but could you say that in Japanese?" Afuro asked in, of course, Japanese.

The immigration officer shook his head in frustration, saying it in English instead. "Passport."

Good thing passport in English was really similar to Japanese. Afuro quickly handed him the passport and stamp, stamp, he was in the clear.

Hurdle one, cleared.

All he had to do now was grab his suitcase and meet up with his friend. The conveyor belts were nearby, and the suitcases were just going out. Afuro decided to stand in front of the opening, so the instant his bag was out, he could snatch it.

So he waited. Bag after bag came out, some huge, some tiny. Some a sparkly gold, others plain black. Yet none of them were the red suitcase he had packed. He started tapping his feet impatiently, wondering just how much longer it would take for his bag to come out.

"Hello! Hello!!" he heard some shouts behind him. He turned to see two girls looking at him intently, excitement in their eyes. He flashed them a gentle smile, acknowledging their presence. He noticed their faces tint pink.

"Can I help you?" he asked, still in Japanese. The girls whispered to each other between giggles, one pushing her friend towards Afuro.

"Picture, okay?" she squeaked in broken Japanese. "You, very pretty."

Afuro stared at them blankly, then broke out into a chuckle. "Of course," he replied, posing with a finger heart. They squealed upon seeing the picture, waving goodbye with satisfied faces. He had gotten these requests before in Japan, but it was just surprising to know it would happen in Korea as well.

"The conveyer belt is now shutting down," a Japanese intercom sounded and the belt stopped moving. It wouldn't have been a problem if Afuro's bag actually came out.

"Excuse me," Afuro called out to an airport staff member, and was met with a grumpy expression.

"Hah?" he grunted, clearly frustrated.

"The conveyor belt stopped before—"

"I don't understand your jibber-jabber, kid. Shoo," he growled. It was all foreign to Afuro but he knew when he was not wanted.

He backed away from the old guy only to be pushed by a huge tourist group out of the baggage claim area. He hoped to stop by the arrivals gate but unfortunately, the tourists had other plans. They rushed to the stores, unknowingly pushing Afuro along. It was hard to fight against them, especially against women looking for a bargain. He soon managed to slip his way out, only to find himself in the middle of all the shops.

He turned left, then right, two more lefts, then another four rights and he was back to where he started. Yup, definitely lost.

He checked his phone again, looking for free WiFi but, of course his battery died. What a splendid experience Korea had been. First, he couldn't contact his friend, then he embarrassed himself by being completely incompetent in the local language. It continued with his missing suitcase, with a grumpy old man, and to top it all off, he's lost in a country where he knew nothing and couldn't even communicate.

The god had decided to curse this land.

The usually calm, rational Afuro was kept up on the outside, but inside he was breaking down. There was no solution to this. Why bother talking to another if they couldn't even understand you? What if his bag was on the other side of the world with all his treasures? Was he going to live on the streets? Was he—

"Terumi!" he heard his name, and his eyes immediately brightened to see Choi Chang Soo, previous captain of Fire Dragon.

"Chang Soo!" he cried out, and ran to his side. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"What happened to your phone? I've been trying to call you the past hour," he asked, in the familiar fluent Japanese that Afuro missed.

"Ran out of battery, and I don't have a number here," he replied, still chuckling in relief. "Can you believe that they lost my bag?"

Chang Soo looked at Afuro in confusion. "It's right here, did you forget?" he said, pulling aside a red suitcase.

"What? How?"

"You asked me to take it for you remember? I even had a hard time going through the authorities to get this..." he sighed, disappointed in his friend's forgetfulness.

He could only stare at Chang Soo blankly and groaned in frustration. Of course, he had, how could he have forgotten?

"Don't mind, don't mind. You must've had a hard time, no? I'll treat you to some barbecue after we get you a new number okay?" his Korean partner comforted the 'God,' and Afuro's bleak mood was immediately brightened up.

That night, with new number installed and phone fully charged, he sent his first message to his parents.

'Your little god approves of this land and shall reap its blessings. Though there were challenges, I'll get through them. Thank you for letting me move,'

And with a sweet smile, he clicked send.


End file.
